NASCAR Pit Stop or HOV Lane?
I have a confession to make. I don’t know what to pray for. I know God doesn’t need me to know what to pray for, but I would feel more comfortable if I knew what to pray for. My dad, who is 82, was diagnosed with cancer last Monday.
My dad is an incredible man. I’ve written about him before in my blog. I have been blessed to have an earthly father who has taught me a great deal about my Heavenly father through his example. My dad is not perfect, but God has worked hard to perfect him during his lifetime. My dad has hugged me and told me he loved me. He has written me letters about the weather and about cows having calves. He has been a solid source of limited (though highly sought after) fatherly advice and unlimited wisdom.
I don’t know what will happen with his cancer, but I do know that when it is time for him to go home to heaven, God will greet him with outstretched arms to hug him and tell him he is loved. I am also blessed beyond measure to know that if my dad dies tonight there is nothing left unsaid. He knows I love him more than words can communicate and that he has been all I ever could have wanted for a father.
The dilemma for me is that selfishly I want him to stay here with me forever. I want to know that he will always be just a phone call away. Yet even as selfish as I am, I don’t want my dad to struggle with failing health and ongoing onslaughts of medical treatment that leave him without the health or energy to actively participate in life. What I really want is a medical NASCAR pit stop. I want my dad to go into the hospital and the doctors perform a couple of procedures that allow my dad to heal quickly and be back to living life the way he always has. Just a quick medical pit stop.
If my dad can’t have a quick NASCAR pit stop, I want God to grant him quick passage into an HOV lane. The High Occupancy Vehicle lane allows cars to move quickly through traffic to reach their destination. I am confident my dad’s destination is heaven, so if God decides that it is time for Dad’s earthly journey to end, I want God to escort dad into the HOV lane so his journey home to heaven is a quick journey without a lot of unnecessary pain or struggle.
Have you ever heard of anyone asking God to provide a NASCAR pit stop or an HOV lane? I know it seems strange, but it is all I know to ask for.
Very insightful images, Dr. Beth. And so appropriate to a man.
I did have such a situation — a friend with MS who had declined precipitously. To be able to accompany her in the HOV lane was one of the greatest privileges of my life
Praying for your dad — and for all his loved ones, including you.
Wow, your metaphors are…amazing! I completely understand your desire to have either a quick fix or end for your father and the cancer in his body. It is very sad for anyone to have cancer because it seems so unfair, since most times they did not do anything to get the cancer. I have a good friend fighting cancer now, in more than one place in her body and it is even worse that she is UNDER 30 years old!! I believe all you can do is hope, pray, and wait…
Didn’t even know you were interested in cars! Just another clip of your fascinating mind. Very helpful word pictures Beth! Certainly prayers I have prayed having parents even older. We are all in the “grandstand” cheering as they race through their final “laps” and cross the finish line triumphantly! Love and Prayers.